Ealing Council sends free leaf kits, 20 green sacks and a broom within five working days, then collects full sacks. Scouts have already filled 50 bags.

Anyone who lives in the borough can get a free leaf-clearing kit from Ealing Council this autumn, and the council will collect the full sacks afterwards. Local Scouts are already out using them: one group filled 50 bags in Montpelier Park on Sunday 18 October, the council said on 27 October.

What you can order

The council’s community cleaning support form offers:

  • a leaf collection kit
  • one roll of green sacks (20 bags)
  • one broom, if you do not have your own

The council’s announcement also lists a litter-picking kit. The form is for clearing your own street or a wider area with neighbours, and it lets you book a collection of the full sacks.

How it works, according to the form:

Step What the council says
You apply Online, with your name, address, email and phone number
Equipment arrives Within five working days of the request being agreed
Full sacks Left in a safe place; the council aims to remove them within seven days
Bigger groups or events Call customer services on 020 8825 5000

The council will email you if it turns a request down. More than 1,700 residents and community groups took up the same offer last year, the council said.

The Scouts

Cubs and Scouts aged 4 to 14 from the Ealing and Hanwell groups are collecting leaves in their own neighbourhoods again this year, with brooms, shovels and green sacks supplied by the council. They first joined in last autumn, when they filled more than 100 bags and earned an “Ealing Leaf and Litter Legend” badge. This year 1st Ealing North went back to Montpelier Park for the 50-bag haul.

“It’s fantastic to see our Cubs embracing new challenges, building confidence and developing skills that will stay with them for life,” said Neil Gosrani, the Scout group’s lead volunteer.

What the council is doing itself

Leaf fall can run for up to three months, depending on the weather, the council says. It has taken on 27 extra street cleaning staff for the season, the same as last year. Its crews are clearing first:

  • outside schools, hospitals and day centres
  • shopping areas and train stations
  • steep hills and streets that get heavy leaf fall
  • places where leaves could block drains and cause flooding

Councillor Dominic Moffitt, the cabinet member for climate action, encouraged “residents and community groups across the borough to request a free equipment kit and join them”.

What it means for you

  • Order a kit on the council’s form and allow five working days for it to arrive.
  • Book the sack collection on the same form once you have finished, and leave the bags somewhere safe, as the form asks.
  • Garden waste from your own garden is a separate service. See our bin collection days page for what goes where.

Sources